Christmas on July 24th Avenue
Shichigatsu Nijuuyokka Doori no Kurisumasu (Christmas on July 24th Ave.) is a romantic comedy movie starring the famous JIN couple, Osawa Takao and Nakatani Miki! It was premiered in November 3rd, 2006. Also starring Abe Tsuyoshi, Ueno Juri, YOU, Kohinata Fumiyo, Sato Ryuta and Gekidan Hitori. I love all the casts!
Adapted from the novel "July 24th Avenue" written by Yoshida Shuichi in 2004, the story sets in imaginary Lisbon-Portugal, which is actually Nagasaki-Japan ^_^ The heroine, Honda Sayuri (Nakatani Miki), is a clumsy shoujo manga otaku who loves this certain shoujo manga about a prince and princess fairytale-like story sets in Lisbon, Portugal. As she noticed that her hometown, Nagasaki has many similarities with Lisbon, she likes to imagine herself living in Lisbon. Of course, which means, the filming locations of this movie includes Lisbon, for real^^
This is just exactly the kind of romantic movie I like! Related with a city in Europe... somehow cities in Europe just fits in perfectly with romantic movies ^_^ The insert themesong of this movie is Ella Fitzgerald's Winter Wonderland, I loooooove 60s oldies songs!!! Esp. to hear it as the background of romantic movies, that's just perfect!!! The instrumental version of Winter Wonderland by Hattori Takayuki in this movie is also very, very wonderful!
Honda Sayuri has a crush she can never forget since highschool. His name is Okuda Satoshi (Osawa Takao). Everyday, Sayuri makes up her own Ouji-sama (Prince) ranking of the day, of all the ikemen-s she met that day. But her #1 ouji-sama would always be Okuda Satoshi. She first met Okuda in the avenue that she always imagines as July 24th Ave. that actually exists in Lisbon. After highschool, Okuda Satoshi moved to Tokyo.
One day, Okuda Satoshi came back to his hometown, Nagasaki, for a reunion. To her surprise she met him again earlier, not in the reunion party but on the train.
The more she is involved with Satoshi, the more she cannot differ which is reality and which is imagination. Sayuri's bestfriend who is also manga otaku Moriyama (Sato Ryuta) reminds her that the Okuda Satoshi she loves might be just the Okuda Satoshi she has in her imagination, the ideal prince, and that she overlook the reality.
Sayuri has a younger brother, Koji (Abe Tsuyoshi), who is popular among girls. One day he brought home his new girlfriend, Megumi (Ueno Juri), a clumsy nerd girl, who look exactly like herself and somehow Sayuri is upset about this and thinks that Koji and Megumi doesn't suit each other. I love Ueno Juri here!!^^ I esp. love how she introduce herself everytime to people with, "Megumi desu. Please call me Megu. You can call me Gumi too...". Haha... isn't her name is Noda Megumi in Nodame?^^
Sayuri's father played by Kohinata Fumiyo has a girlfriend played by YOU. I like this couple too^^
I love the cartoonish effects in this movie ^_^
My favorite scene! Sayuri and Satoshi were hopping together on the street and there's the instrumental version of Winter Wonderland playing on the background. Such a lovely and romantic scene^^
I downloaded this from clubbox.
01 http://down.clubbox.co.kr/movienfeeling/e314b1
02 http://down.clubbox.co.kr/movienfeeling/f314b1
English subtitles here:
http://ul.to/6m2dsr/ChristmasAvenue.engsub.rar
Some other pictures of Osawa Takao and Nakatani Miki, they look lovely together! Yappari, Osawa Takao wa ouji-sama mitai dayoo~ Kakkooiiiii~~ ^v^
Hmm... Osawa got divorced with singer Hiromi Kohse in the end of Nov 2006 (they got married in 1999), I wonder if there were any rumors about Osawa and Miki that time?^^ It would've been a good promotion for this movie which premiered in early November 2006, lol.
Ahh, I better continue JIN anytime soon!^o^